Wishbone Hill Coal Mine

Wishbone Hill Coal Mine is a proposed site in the Matanuska Valley, approximately 5 miles west of Sutton, AK. It is estimated to contain 14 million tons of bituminous coal. A permit for exploratory drilling at the site was approved by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in July 2010. That permit has been appealed by several local organizations and tribal councils.

According to GroundTruth Trekking, Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. purchased the 8000 acre Wishbone Hill Mine site in 1997 with plans to recover the coal using strip mining techniques. Usibelli Coal began exploration work in this area in the summer of 2010 and has reportedly found a potential buyer for the coal. This area was historically mined for coal as early as 1916 and was most recently mined in the 1980s. The lease area has been the site of a number of coal fires, some burning since the 1960's, and has been the focus of a multi-million dollar effort to supress the fires. West of Wishbone Hill is the site of the successful Moose Creek Salmon Restoration project, created due to previous coal mining and railroad development in the area.

Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. possesses renewable exploration permits for this mine, due to be reviewed in 2011. The company would need to obtain production permits before mining, which could occur by 2012. The mine would receive power from the nearby grid and would transport coal either via truck to Seward, truck to Port MacKenzie or through creation of a new rail spur to the site. In June 2010, the Mat-Su Borough Planning Commission voted against allowing Usibelli to build an access road but later approved conditional access. The nearby Chickaloon Village Traditional Council announced that they planned to oppose all aspects of the mine. In July 2010, Usibelli was granted a permit by the DNR and began exploratory drilling in the area. In August 2010, the Athabascan tribe, the Castle Mountain Coalition, and local residents filed appeals against the July permit decision. Both exploration and creation of a feasibility study are underway.

On July 6, 2011, a state agency withdrew a decision to renew a permit to develop the coal mine near Chickaloon after finding that it needed to respond to comment from Alaska Natives, who have spent more than $1 million restoring salmon streams damaged by decades of coal mining. The Chickaloon Village Traditional Council is among several groups opposed to a resumption of coal mining operations north of Palmer near streams and creeks that feed the Matanuska River. The council appealed a renewal permit granted by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources allowing Ranger Alaska, LLC of Golden, Colo., to operate a surface strip and underground coal mine. Geoffrey Stauffer, the lawyer representing the Chickaloon tribe, said that DNR failed to adequately respond to public comments about the mine and that the state should have required Ranger Alaska to apply for a new permit, which would have required a new look at the project, including all the work the tribe has done to restore salmon streams damaged by past mining, he said.

Mine Data

 * Owner: Usibelli Coal Mine Inc.
 * Parent company: Joseph E. Usibelli
 * Location: Sutton, Alaska
 * GPS coordinates:
 * Production:
 * Type of coal: Bituminous
 * Mine type: Surface
 * Equipment: Strip Mining
 * Number of employees:
 * Recoverable Reserves: 14 million tons

Related SourceWatch articles
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